1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for brewing a beverage and more specifically to such apparatus with improved beverage dispensing characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
Various types of apparatus exist for brewing hot beverages such as tea and coffee. One example is a drip-type coffee brewing apparatus that, in its basic form, directs heated water onto infusible coffee grounds in a filter basket to brew multiple servings of coffee. A carafe receives the hot beverage. The carafe may comprise a Dewar container or a glass carafe that sits on a warming plate to maintain the beverage at an appropriate temperature. A consumer pours a single serving from the carafe into a cup or mug. After use, normal cleanup requires washing of the carafe and the filter basket. Sometimes during use, coffee drips from the carafe or the filter basket onto the warming plate where it dries into an unsightly and malodorous deposit that requires additional cleaning.
Recently a number of manufacturers have introduced single-serving coffee brewing apparatus that eliminates the need for a carafe and the attendant steps of removing the carafe from the brewing apparatus, pouring an individual serving of the beverage into a cup and replacing the carafe with any remaining beverage in the brewing apparatus. Eliminating the carafe also minimizes occurrences of spilling and splashing on clothing. Thus, it is desirable in the beverage brewing art to provide a drip-type hot beverage brewing device that may automate the dispensing process and avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks to conventional drip-type apparatus using carafes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,960 (2004) to Garman discloses a coffee brewing machine that brews multiple servings and dispenses coffee in single servings thereby eliminating the need for a carafe. A stand has a recess for receiving a portion of a coffee cup. A water reservoir and a brewed beverage tank attach to the top of the stand. The brewed beverage tank includes a filter basket at the top and a reservoir in the bottom. In use, multiple servings of brewed coffee accumulate in the beverage reservoir. When a coffee cup is placed in the receptacle, it displaces a pushbutton that, through a mechanical linkage, opens a valve to dispense a single serving.
With this design, both the brewing tank and water reservoir are above the stand providing a beverage maker that has a high center of gravity. The dispensing actuator is placed under the brewing tank outlet. This presents a possibility of errant spills or drips striking an individual's hand while a cup is being filled, especially because the individual must use the cup to displace the pushbutton against the forces a return spring and linkage friction exert until the desired amount of beverage has been dispensed. The individual must also pay attention during this operation while filling an individual cup because it is possible to dispense more than a cup at a time. This places another demand on an individual's attention.
In addition, the stand height determines the maximum cup height. That is, a cup must lie between the brewing tank and the bottom of the base unit. Any desire to limit the stand height may constrain the variety of cups that can be used with the coffee machine of U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,960. For example, for a given stand height, it may be possible to accommodate a conventional coffee cup, but preclude the use of a tall travel mug. Adapting such a coffee machine to accommodate a tall travel mug could increase the height to an unacceptable level and extend the distance from an outlet spout to a standard coffee cup to an unacceptable distance.
These demands and limitations increase complexity of use. Consequently, apparatus that incorporates the features of the above-mentioned coffee machine will not be user-friendly. Therefore what is needed is hot beverage brewing apparatus for making multiple servings of a beverage and facilitating the use of that apparatus by enabling individuals to dispense single servings. More specifically what is needed is a user friendly, hot beverage brewing apparatus that minimizes an individual's attention demands, eliminates the need for a carafe or the like and is relatively compact.